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Friday, May 10, 2013

Have You Heard of "Time Boxing"?

Resume writers are always looking for new time management strategies. One of these is called "Time boxing."

Does it seem like there aren't enough hours in the day to get all of your work done? That could be because you are working harder instead of smarter. Time boxing is one way to make the most of the time you have. It seems like a simple thing to do, so you may wonder if it really works. If you've never done it before, give it a try.

What Is Time Boxing?Like the name says, you are putting time into a box. Well, not an actual box, but a virtual one. Basically, you divide your time during the day into segments and use each for a specific task. These boxes can have a certain limit or maximum amount of time depending on how you work.

For most resume writers, the computer is our main business tool, so setting a limit on the time used per task can break up the monotony of the time we spend in front of the "small screen."

Start with a time limit, say 90-minute intervals. This is about the maximum amount of time that the brain will stay focused and creative before we get off our game. And for clients, you want to offer quality and your best work. Also, don't forget to schedule in distractions and free time. That is a big difference from what you might be doing now. When everything has its place within your day, it is easier to operate more efficiently.

Four Benefits of Time Boxing1. Increased focus. When you know that you have a certain amount of time to devote all to one task, it is easier to get tasks completed. For 90 minutes, all you think about is writing the resume or answering all your emails. When the time is up, you move on to another task with the same fervor.

2. Curbs procrastination. When a task seems overwhelming, the result is often putting it off as long as we can. That only leads to a rush job and stress later on. With time boxing, you only spend a certain amount of time on a task and it makes it more manageable. With each box of time, you are closer to completing the goal. Even if you just start with 15 minutes in your time box to write the resume, you'll often find that once you get started, you find it easy to just keep going.

3. Time consciousness. Instead of wondering where your time goes, you can find out. If you want free time, schedule it in a box. Surf the Web or take some downtime, but within the confines of your schedule. It works the opposite way too: If it's not in your time box, DON'T DO IT. That means, if checking Facebook isn't in your time box for this block of time, don't look at it. But you can schedule a 15-minute period of time in your next time box to check it out. (It can help to use an egg timer, or the timer on your smartphone, to keep track of your time boxes.)

4. Motivating. When you see how much more energy you have for the tasks that need your attention youíll want to "box"everything up. When productivity increases, you can then look at big projects in a new way so that you are no longer putting them off.

How is your time spent during your business day? Time boxing may be the answer to plug those sink holes of time you have been encountering.